Blind fish species discovered in Meghalaya cave

SHILLONG: A new species of fish has been discovered inside a cave in East Jaintia Hills district, a New Zealand-based science journal has revealed.
The fish, which has been named Schistura larketensis, derives its name from Larket village, where the cave is situated.

Zoologists believe this species of fish has evolved in ways peculiar to its habitat — owing to the darkness of the cave, the fish is blind and has no skin pigmentation.

Khlur Mukhim, a researcher at Gauhati University, first came across this fish species a few years ago. A joint team of scientists from Gauhati University and Northeastern Hill University has since then being corroborating available facts and figures, establishing that this is indeed a new species and that this species is sightless. The completed study has now been published in Zootaxa, the Newzealand-based journal.

Mukhim said, “There are about 200 known species of similar kinds of fishes inhabiting streams and rivers in the Indo-China and southeast Asian region, but this is the first such discovery.”

Elaborating on the new species, Mukhim added, “This species can be immediately distinguished from all other species of Schistura, barring the Schistura papulifera — another cave fish from the Synrang Pamiang cave system in the same district — by the vestigial subcutaneous eyes which appear as black spots.”

Speaking about how the research team proved that the new species is a sightless fish, Mukhim said, “The orbital diameter (of the vestigial subcutaneous eyes)gradually decreases as the species matures, with the eyes completely absent in older individuals. Eventually, only small, faintly blackish spot-like depressions appear in place of eyes, indicating evolutionary and morphological adaptations.” The state has one of the most elaborate cave systems in Asia and a consequent abundance of exotic species. Cherrapunjee, renowned as one of the wettest spots in the world, is also a hotbed for discovery of new species. For example, a rare tree frog species was discovered in Cherrapunjee last year which exhibits unusual mating rituals not seen anywhere before.

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